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Ishtar - Ombre


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Releasing ‘Ombre’, by the Italian artist hidden under the name Ishtar, was no coincidence. The mentioned musician has been present on the scene for at least a decade. Another matter is the character of the projects he has been a part of, which include symphonic black metal and ambient black metal. The extreme manner of these genres have indeed little in common with what ‘Ombre’ has to offer, as contents of Ishtar’s latest release derive from his other inspirations. So what exactly are we dealing with here?
Truth be told, one does not even have to ponder about it, it’s all give to us in the folder of the release. ‘Ombre’ is an ambient/neofolk/acoustic project, stripped of any kind of vocals, though not left without proper commentary. The author made an effort to create a proper atmosphere for his music, writing a short text for each of the tunes, which as a whole might be seen as oneiric story of sorts. How does the music fit into this concept? Quite well actually. Melancholic keys, acoustic guitars, electronic backgrounds, all chip in for the atmosphere of reflection and at times even mild rapture. Moreover, occasional samples of waves and sounds of floating boat make the listeners feel as if they were journeying through a dream, which is hardly surprising considering the ‘dream’ theme present in the already mentioned texts of Ishtar.

At this point I cannot help, but to compare Ishtar to another Italian project: Ashram. Although the style of the two may differ, the atmosphere of melancholy spilling from the speakers is their common feature, provoking reflection or contemplation, to which the music of the above mentioned musicians is a perfect soundtrack.
Ultimately, I consider Ishtar worthy of giving it a moment of your lives (literally, the album lasts for about 20 minutes) and let yourselves be carried across his sea of reflection, with a bottle of good wine as a companion.

Tracklist:

01. Le vele dormienti, mi volgo alle nebbie
02. Ho preso il cammino del fuoco e bruciavo nel cuore
03. Una voce chiamava il mio nome stanotte
04. Da vicino - così vicino
05. Foglie d'oro piovevano sui nuovi dei
Author:
Translator: fiuri
Add date: 2012-11-19 / Music reviews




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